Democratic News

November 4, 2009
Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Our oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes provide our nation with unmatched wealth.  Their beauty inspires us.  They provide the air we breathe and the water we drink.  They are home to magnificent animals – whales, dolphins, fish, and corals – that never cease to amaze us.    This Congress, Senator Cantwell and I have […]

November 3, 2009
Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C.—John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, sent a letter yesterday to H. Edward Hanway, the CEO of CIGNA, raising serious questions about the way his company spends consumers’ health care premium dollars. The letter details newly released information about the percentage of consumers’ premium […]

November 3, 2009
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C.—John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, sent a letter yesterday to H. Edward Hanway, the CEO of CIGNA, raising serious questions about the way his company spends consumers’ health care premium dollars. The letter details newly released information about the percentage of consumers’ premium dollars that insurance companies spend on medical care, a measure known as the “medical loss ratio.”
November 2, 2009
Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, is working in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General (IG) to update current port security procedures to better protect against biological and chemical threats. The Homeland Security IG issued a report today […]

October 29, 2009
Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Ranking Member, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, issued the following statement today after the House passed S. 1694, a bill that extends the Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) grant program established under the Digital Television Transition and Public […]

October 29, 2009
Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a subcommittee hearing today on Reauthorization of the National Transportation Safety Board.   Witness List:   The Honorable Deborah A.P. Hersman, Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board   Dr. Gerald Dillingham, Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office     Key Quotations from […]

October 29, 2009
Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Transportation Safety Board is a world-class investigative body with over 40 years of experience.  Its recommendations have helped save countless lives and led to safety improvements in all aspects of our transportation system.   Unfortunately, it has been a busy year at the NTSB, which has been involved in a number of […]

October 28, 2009
Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a full committee hearing today on Combating Distracted Driving: Managing Behavioral and Technological Risks.   Witness List:   The Honorable Ray LaHood, Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation   The Honorable Julius Genachowski, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission   Key Quotations from Today’s Hearing:   […]

October 28, 2009
Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C.—At this very moment, 11 percent of all drivers on the road are holding an electronic device: They are calling home on their cell phone or reading a text from a friend; they are sending an email to the office on their Blackberry or looking up directions with a GPS system. That amounts to […]

October 28, 2009
Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, issued the following statement today on Northwest Airlines (NWA) Flight 188, which overflew its destination airport, Minneapolis/St. Paul International by approximately 150 miles on October 22, 2009.  The flight was out of contact with air traffic control (ATC) […]